Path of the Gutsy Shinobi
by Nerdy Geekdom
Summary: Naruto finds a letter from his parents and a book about a gutsy ninja. Taking the letter and his namesake to heart, Naruto leaves Konoha to find the path to true peace where he finds himself being trained by Samurai. But what happens when he eventually encounters a group known as the Akatsuki who claim to want the same thing? Will he join them or will they be an obstacle? ON HIATUS
1. His Parent's Last Words

**Author's Notes (Caution: Minor Spoilers):** After years of abuse and hate, Naruto leaves Konoha to avoid further abuse and to follow his namesakes path in the search for true peace. Naruto first sets his sights on freeing Kiri from the prejudice against Kekkei Genkai users. Once the war is over, Naruto continues his quest for peace when he is recruited by an organization dedicated to that very cause. Naruto joins the Akatsuki, but will he stay to change how they find peace or will he be forced to leave?

Naruto's strength will be based on the assumption that he progresses near the same rate as Jiraiya, Itachi, or Kakashi who became Genin at 6 and Chunin by 10, but bear in mind the growth increase once he starts using Kage Bunshin. Because of his Kage Bunshin and his constant training, he will gather quite a few jutsu before he reaches the Chunin Exam and will be on par with Itachi for their respective ages. Normally I don't like giving spoilers, but come on … everyone has to know that he would make it to the Chunin Exams somehow.

Throughout this story, some names may sound familiar to you. Reason being, I hate coming up with names and I suck at it, so I am going to use the names of characters from other stories or shows. While a name may sound familiar, I am going to make them my own character with their own abilities.

I consider myself to be fairly good with grammar and I am doing several edits as a write so there should be only minimal errors; however, I will warn you that I am very bad at knowing when to use the correct apostrophe, so please bear with me in that regard.

Disclaimer: That said, I do not own Naruto or any of the other inspired characters in this no matter how much I wish otherwise.

########## The Path of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi ##########

Naruto was waking up in an unfamiliar room with white walls on an unfamiliar bed. Realizing he was in the hospital, he tried to think back to the last thing he can remember. He was looking at the villagers celebrating the Kyubi Festival. On October 10th, the Yondaime Hokage saved the village by "killing" (A/N: *wink*) the Kyubi at the cost of his own life. While trying to see what everyone was doing, Naruto was noticed by some villagers and while they always looked at him with hate and called him demon, he had never been attacked before and never expected that reaction from the shinobi. He couldn't understand why everyone always looked at him with so much hate or treated him like he was a stain on the earth. The only people that treated him like the 5 year old boy that he was were the Sandaime Hokage, better known as Jiji, and the Ichiraku Ramen stand owners, Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame.

He was deep in thought when the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, known throughout the Elemental Nations as the Professor and the God of Shinobi, walked into his room with that kind smile he always wore when he saw Naruto. Naruto likewise couldn't keep the smile from his face when his Jiji walked in, "Hiya Jiji!" Naruto cried with an enthusiastic wave that drew a chuckle from the old man considering he was only a few feet away and that Naruto was still recovering in a hospital bed. Not that he should be surprised that either of those things stopped the young blonde from being so exuberant. It was one of Sarutobis favorite things about the young boy.

"Good morning Naruto. You seem to be doing a little bit better than when I left you last night." Sarutobi saw confusion cross his face before the sudden realization that it was now the next day. Naruto started nodding his head but soon regretted the action because of the headache that followed.

"Yes jiji. I was actually hoping to ask you a question about that." Waiting for the Sandaime to nod his head, he continued, "Why do the villagers hate me so much? When I was at the orphanage, none of the adults even acknowledged that I existed and would often forget to feed me, let alone suddenly kicking me out altogether last year. And the way everyone else in the village looks at me really scares me because it looks like they are one step away from killing me. Even the kids that I try to play with at the park, they are all told by their parents never to play with me again. If I stay at one park too long, then no one ever shows up, but when I go to another park everyone always leaves and if I keep going there then kids stop going there. Is there something wrong with me, Jiji?" looking down at his hands gripping the sheets the entire time, Naruto finally looked up to see sadness in the Hokage's eyes.

He looked like he was about to say something before taking a deep breath saying, "There is nothing wrong with you, my boy. You are perhaps the most caring boy I know, even if you are one of the loudest and most energetic." Saying lightheartedly trying to get the young boy to smile. But he just continued to stare at the old man with that almost dead look in his eyes before replying, "then why does everyone in the village hate me? Were my parents traitors to Konoha or something?"

Seeing the pain in his eyes, Sarutobi quickly replied, "Absolutely not! Your parents were heroes who gave their lives protecting the village. Don't ever believe different, understand?" seeing the boy nodding his head he hoped that boy wouldn't see the mistake in what he said, but fate was not on his side when they boy asked, "Who were my parents then? I don't know anything about them?"

Seeing the glimmer of hope in his eyes, after everything the boy had endured, he couldn't take it all away again so decided on giving him a half-truth, "Your mother was a very talented and beautiful kunoichi by the name of Kushina Uzumaki."

Sarutobi didn't have any regrets about telling the boy after seeing life return to his eyes and that big, goofy smile don his face before the boy started asking questions faster than Sarutobi could understand, convincing the boy to speak a little slower he heard him ask, "Can you tell me about her? Was she a really powerful shinobi? Is my name really my mom's name? Do you have a picture of her? Can I see it?"

"Hahaha! Slow down my boy. Yes, you really do have your mom's real name. She was indeed a very powerful shinobi, one of the best. And while I don't have a picture of her, I will see if I can scrounge one up for you. But for now, you need some more rest alright? I will stop by later and we can talk then." As he was getting up to leave the room, he heard a whispered "jiji" before he got to the door. Knowing what the boy was going to ask, he heard, "What about my dad? Do you know who my dad is?"

Knowing this could come back to bite him, he nods his head before saying, "We will take more after you have had some rest."

Once more though, before he could turn around, he heard one more thing from the young blonde, "You still never answered my original question." Sarutobi secretly proud at the boy for being so smart and annoyed at him for not being distracted by the other conversations, just waited for Naruto to finish, "Why do the villagers hate me?"

"That too is a conversation for another time. Let's just say that some people are afraid and they act on that fear in a very shameful way. Now, no more questions. I don't like seeing you in the hospital and if you don't rest then how will you ever get well enough to leave here so I can treat you to some Ichiraku Ramen?"

Once more, the glint in the boy's eyes returned before he started shaking his head excitedly shouting, "You got it jiji! I'll get all better, that way you can treat me to some Ramen! I'll be all better come lunch time. Dattebayo!" and with his big wide grin, Sarutobi watched the boy quickly place his head on the pillow to try to sleep his worries away.

########## Sarutobi ##########

Making his way back to his office, he signaled for his ANBU when one appeared in front of him before asking, "Has there been any report who may have attacked Naruto last night?"

Fearing the hard edge to the usually kind man's voice, the ANBU with a raccoon mask on replied, "There has not Hokage-sama. Dog sent in a preliminary report that there were no promising leads and that there were too many scents for him to pick out possible perpetrators from innocent bystanders. He mentioned investigating those celebrating in the area with the scents but he isn't hopeful that he will turn out anything concrete."

Knowing that was the best that he would get given the circumstances, he nodded his head, "Thank you Raccoon." With that, the ANBU disappeared again before Sarutobi started pulling out a scroll from inside his desk. Looking at it, he was wondering if it was really time to give it to the boy. He was supposed to give it to him as soon as he was able to read, but he felt that he should wait longer. No. Kushina gave her life for the village and if he would honor her wishes even if he felt otherwise. She deserved that much. Set on what he was going to do, he put the scroll back in his desk before turning to the mountain of paperwork left on his desk. Groaning he set to work looking over reports of the most boring nature ever conceived, civilian complaints about the village shinobi.

########## Naruto ##########

It was just past noon and Sarutobi and Naruto were walking down the street on their way to Ichiraku Ramen, just like Sarutobi said he would. The Sandaime was wearing his traditional Hokage outfit of a red kimono with a white sash and a white Haori, never without the Hokage hat with the Kanji for 'fire' on it. Naruto was in his ever bright orange jumpsuit that no self-respecting ninja would be caught dead wearing. As they made their way to the ramen stand, some villagers were foolish enough to try glaring at the boy but they were all met with a hard glare from Sarutobi, causing them all to quickly turn away.

Making their way through the curtain, Naruto ever the loud, energetic child, shouts "Hiya Teuchi-jiji! Miso ramen please, but get a pork one going. I just got out of the hospital so I need to get my strength back up to make sure I don't have to visit again. And nothing better for that than Ichiraku's!" Naruto finished with a big smile on his but soon regretted his words when Ayame came from the back with a concerned look on her face.

"Hospital?! What were you doing there? Are you alright?" Ayame said quickly coming around the counter to check the young boy to make sure he is alright. Seeing Naruto's discomfort over the attention, Sarutobi had to stifle a chuckle as did Teuchi before coming to the boy's rescue.

"Now Ayame, it's going to be awfully hard for the boy to eat the world's best ramen if you are too busy hugging him to make it for him." Teuche chimed in, causing Ayame to let go with a slight blush before quickly getting to work on his order while Teuchi got Sarutboi his order of pork ramen. Seeing the blush on Naruto's face after Ayame let go, Sarutobi decided to poke fun at the boy a little, "Well now Naruto. If that is the reaction you get after getting out of the hospital, I'm surprised you aren't in there more often." Tossing a wink to Teuchi as the 2 old men started chuckling to each other, watching Naruto and Ayame blush a little and quickly look down.

"Oi! Teuchi-jiji, Ayame-chan! Guess what! My mother's name was Kushina Uzumaki and she was a really powerful kunoichi! Can you believe it?" Naruto burst out, much to Sarutobi's surprise.

"Naruto, are you sure you don't want to wait until we get back to my office to discuss this?" Sarutobi chimed in quietly while Teuchi and Ayame were getting over their shock.

"Nah. The only thing I don't talk to Teuchi-jiji and Ayame-chan about were my hospital visits, but after the last time Ayame convinced me that I shouldn't keep that news from them. So I trust them with anything you trust me with." Naruto finished with a big grin, not noticing the looks of compassion Naruto was getting at the trust he has for the ramen stand owners.

"Well that's the best news we've heard in a long time! To celebrate, I think the first bowl of ramen is on the house. Eat up shrimp." Teuchi said affectionately as their ramen was set in front of them. Which quickly turned Naruto's frown at the shrimp comment into one of glee at finally getting his favorite ramen ever.

Before Sarutobi could even get through half his bowl, Naruto loudly proclaims, "Alright old man, bring on the pork ramen!" While Naruto was waiting for his next bowl, he turned to Sarutobi to ask, "Hey jiji? Did you get a chance to find a picture of my mom by any chance? I would really like to know what she looks like."

Giving the boy a small smile, he replies, "As a matter of fact, I was able to find one. But I do not have it on me. It is in my office. But you can have it as soon as we leave here." As soon as he finished speaking, Ayame brought over his pork ramen before watching him endearingly.

"Boy Ayame! You are getting better and better every day. I think you may already be just as good as the old man." Naruto proclaimed which caused the girl to blush and Teuchi to turn his attention to Naruto. With a raised eyebrow he replied, "Oh really Naruto? Is that so? You think my 10 year old daughter is already as good at cooking as me huh?"

Naruto deciding that perhaps he hadn't said the smartest thing elected to stuff his face with ramen before mumbling something utterly unintelligible while shrugging his shoulders, hoping to placate the man. She that this did nothing to change his attitude, Naruto quickly turned to Ayame imploring for help. Taking pity on their favorite customer she comes to his rescue, "That's enough dad. You're just jealous that I'm catching up to you already and you are worried that I will get better than you soon." Which did the trick of turning Teuchi's gaze off Naruto and onto Ayame which got a chuckle out of Sarutobi at the "family drama" unfolding before him.

Teuchi however looked at Ayame proudly and responded, "I know you are almost as good as me. And I can't wait for the day that you surpass me. You are so gifted Ayame." Causing the girl to blush before rushing up to her father and hugging him.

Warming his heart, Sarutobi chimed in, "Ah, but that is one of the joys of life. Watching the next generation grow and become stronger than the last. One of the greatest joys of age." Getting a nod of agreement from Teuchi, they both moved off to continue their work in helping the other patrons.

After they both finished their bowls (A/N: Naruto is only 5 right now, so yes he is only eating 2 adult sized bowls of ramen), they said goodbye and made their way to the Hokage tower. Walking up to the his assistant, Sarutobi asked not to be disturbed for a bit which confused Naruto a little since he had never done that before but was not going to complain at the privacy.

Once inside the Hokage's office, Sarutobi made his way to his desk which was facing the doors they just walked through and a panel of windows behind the desk. Sitting in his chair, Sarutobi pulled out a scroll from his desk and set it down on his desk directly in front of Naruto before saying, "You asked about your mother and as per her wishes I will tell you everything about her that I can safely do. But first there are some things that you need to be aware of. Your mother was very excited about being pregnant and she loved you very much. Unfortunately, your birth was not an easy one and Kushina was afraid she would not be around to raise you."

Pausing a moment, at the tears that started to well up in the corner of the small boys eyes, Sarutobi continued, "Because of those fears she wanted to leave you with something of her to remember her by. She wrote this scroll shortly before she passed away and I think it is time that I carry on her wishes and present it to you. No one has been able to open because it has a blood seal on it and she wanted you to know without a doubt that you are her son. Bear in mind that she wrote this not knowing that your father would soon die because of the Kyubi."

Nodding his head slowly, Naruto stared at the scroll for a moment trying to compose himself and to slow his rapidly beating heart. Slowly reaching out the scroll, Naruto picked it up before looking at Sarutobi to ask, "How do I open it if it has a blood seal? I don't know what a blood seal is."

Sarutobi gave Naruto a small smile before explaining, "A blood seal is a seal that requires a small amount of the intended person's blood and chakra to open. Your mother sealed this scroll with her blood so that only members of her family would be able to open. Not even your father, were he still alive, would have been able to open it. You have been taught how to mold chakra, so simply prick your finger and channel chakra to your hand that has the blood. Then you must channel your chakra into the seal while your blood is on the seal for the seal to be removed. Once you have done so, the seal will be removed and anyone can then read the contents of the scroll. Do you understand?"

Unable to speak, Naruto numbly nodded his head before doing as Sarutobi said. Slowly opening the scroll he noticed that everything was hazy and he couldn't read anything. Realizing it was because of the tears that started to form, he rubbed the tears away and began reading his mother's last words to him.

 _My Dearest Naruto,_

 _I am writing this to you because of one simple fact. I'm your Mother. And if you are reading this then that means I didn't survive your birth. Hopefully your father is taking good care of you but tell him that if he isn't that he'll have me to worry about when I see him next. I wanted to write this just in case the worst should happen so that you will at least know a little bit about me and our clan._

 _I grew up in Uzushiogakure in the Land of Whirlpools. The Uzumaki's were a renowned clan for several reasons: we had many powerful Wind and Water users, skilled swordsmen, and most importantly, our powerful fuinjutsu. I came to Konoha when I was a little girl and though I was scared at first, I made a fierce reputation for myself and eventually became a strong kunoichi that hopefully embodied everything our clan was known for, though your father did surpass me in fuinjutsu I must admit. While I wish I could tell you that you had family back in Uzu, I cannot. Shortly after I left, the village was destroyed by several different nations who feared our involvement in the war but there is nothing I can tell you that you cannot find on your own. No matter what happens, you are an Uzumaki and I hope that you will find as much enjoyment in your birthright as I did, but I want you to be your own man. I want you to discover who you want to be as a shinobi and not just follow after anyone blindly. Find your own way and chase after it with all your heart._

 _In the seal below, is the book where you got your namesake. The book was written by your father's sensei, Jiraiya the Toad Sannin. We named you in the hopes that you would one day grow up to be just as strong as your namesake. I hope that this book will help to be a sort of guide while I am gone. There is also a scroll for Kage Bunshin. If you have chakra reserves like mine, then you won't be able to make Bunshin. This technique is dangerous and I don't want you to learn it without help but it was one of my favorite techniques. Your father might be a little hesitant, but I believe in you and I trust you. Lastly, I am giving you the hitai-ate given to me by my grandfather when I left Uzushiogakure. It is the hitai-ate that all Uzumaki earn when they became genin. Keep it so that you will always remember where we came from._

 _Now Naruto, don't be a fussy eater, eat a lot and grow up to be strong. Make sure to bathe every day and stay warm. Don't stay up late at night, you'll need your sleep. MAKE FRIENDS. It doesn't matter how many, just make sure they're real friends, people you can trust. Even a few is enough. Study your ninjutsu. I was never very good at studying, maybe you will be. Everyone has things they're good at and things they're not. Don't feel bad if you can't do it all. Make sure you listen to the teachers at the Academy. Avoid the three vices of shinobi. Don't borrow money if you can help it. Save what you earn from missions. No drinking until you're 20, and don't overdo it or you'll ruin your body. As for women… you'll want a girlfriend someday. Just try not to pick a weird one, try to find someone like your mother. The fourth warning, watch out for Jiraiya-sensei. Naruto, you're going to experience a lot of pain and suffering. Remember who you are. Find a goal, a dream, and don't stop trying until it comes true. I wish I had more time! I want to stay with you… I love you!_

 _With All My Love,_

 _Your Mother,_

 _Uzumaki Kushina_

It took Naruto a while to read the whole thing because of the tears that kept blurring his vision. Sarutobi sat there quietly smoking on his pipe while Naruto read over the letter. Sarutobi continued to sit there quietly, watching as Naruto finished the letter for what he assumed was the third time before he set the scroll down, channeled some chakra onto the scroll and a puff of smoke revealed a scroll and a hitai-ate on top of a familiar looking book.

Naruto set the scroll and hitai-ate to the side for a moment so he could inspect the book titled "The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi." After reading the back and finding out that it is a story about a shinobi that travels the nations searching an end to hate and despite all his trials and obstacles, never gives up. Promising to give it a thorough reading later, Naruto then opened the scroll while Sarutobi silently watched. Once Naruto rolled to scroll open on the desk, Sarutobi nearly dropped his pipe is surprise, not quite believing what he was seeing.

"Naruto, what are you doing with that?" Sarutobi nearly yelled.

Confused, Naruto looked up at the old man with his head tilted to one side before saying, "What do you mean Jiji? You saw me pull this out of the storage seal. Kaa-chan said that if my chakra reserves were anything like hers then I wouldn't be able to perform…" glancing down to find the names of the jutsu, Naruto continued, "Bunshin, so she left me this jutsu to learn instead. But she said it's dangerous and doesn't want me to learn it without help. Will you help me Jiji?"

Closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, Sarutobi was silently cursing Kushina for this. I mean, sure she had no way of knowing at the time that Minato wouldn't be around, but that doesn't make any of this any easier. Taking a collective breath, Sarutobi replied, "I'm sorry Naruto, but you won't be able to learn that for quite some time. While it is a very useful and versatile jutsu, it is extremely dangerous and can easily kill you if misused. You will have to wait a few years I'm afraid." But Sarutobi almost immediately regretted it seeing the look of horror, pain, and near betrayal in his eyes.

"PLEASE JIJI? I can count on one hand the number of people that don't want me dead. I don't have a family or any friends near my age. I'm all alone outside of my precious moments with you and Ichiraku. I finally have a connection to my Kaa-chan and I will do anything. Please Jiji, I need your help!" Naruto nearly in tears at the end, waited for Sarutobi to reply.

Closing his eyes, fearing that if he were to look at the boy that he would lose his resolve, but he must be strong for the boy's best interests, "I'm sorry Naruto. It's not a matter of your dedication or your connection. This jutsu requires a lot of chakra! If you do not have enough chakra, then it will kill you. And neither you, me, nor Kushina want that. That is why Kushina told you not to attempt this jutsu without help."

"Well then how do we find out if I have enough chakra for this? How close am I? And what can I do to get more chakra to learn it?" Naruto implored.

"Alright Naruto. Let's see where your chakra reserves are at right now and then I will give you some advice on how to increase your reserve. I will check your progress every month, and once you reach a level I am comfortable with, I will teach you the Kage Bunshin." Seeing the switch flip inside Naruto, he immediately started grinning from ear to ear. "Alright, now Naruto, I need you to channel your chakra and hold it. Depending on how much chakra you can hold will give me an idea on your chakra reserve."

Seeing the look of concentration on Naruto's face, Sarutobi waited patiently. A few seconds later, Sarutobi was utterly shocked at what he was sensing. Now that he was focusing on the boy's chakra it was absolutely astounding. This 5 year old boy already has mid to high chunin level chakra reserves. If he had chunin level chakra control, he could perform the jutsu right now. _I wonder if this is the product of being their son or if it is the Kyubi._

"So, how did I do Jiji? Did I pass?" Naruto looked at the old man smiling, with hope brimming in his eyes.

"While you did wonderfully, I'm afraid that you aren't quite where you need to be yet. You have close to the chakra reserve that you need, you won't have anywhere near the chakra control required." Seeing the light leave Naruto's eyes and his head drooping, he continued, "However, with a lot of hard work and dedication, I don't see any reason you can reach where you need to be in just a few short months. I'll write out a few exercises and some tips on chakra control. Focusing on chakra control will give you the control necessary to perform any ninjutsu and will also increase your chakra reserve. I will try to have it for you tomorrow so you can start right away. I believe I also told you that I had a picture of your mother for you. Here you go Naruto. She is the woman with red hair."

After Sarutobi grabbed the picture out of his desk, Naruto gingerly took it, almost afraid that any sudden movements and it might burst into flame. Looking at the picture, Naruto saw 2 beautiful women. One very pregnant woman with black hair and a pregnant woman with red hair. Without taking his eyes away from his mother, he asked so quietly Sarutobi almost missed it, "Who is this other person in the picture? And what was my mother like? Her note mentioned not being particularly good at studying."

Sarutobi chuckled a little at that last bit before responding, "Your mother is standing next to her best friend and childhood rival, Mikoto Uchiha. Those two were always competing in the Academy and even after, over who was stronger. As to your last question, your mother became a very powerful kunoichi. One of the best and strongest in the village. But her strengths did not lie in book smarts at the Academy. Her strength lay in her determination and a more hands on type of learning. Eventually she became one of Konoha's best shinobi, especially in kenjutsu and fuinjutsu but also in ninjutsu because, like you, she had massive chakra reserves."

Taking a minute to digest everything that was said, he couldn't look away from the mother he will never know. At that thought, a few more tears slowly slid down his face. Moving the picture away from his body quickly so his tears wouldn't damage the picture, he did his best to dry his tears to ask his next question, "Who is Jiraiya-sensei?"

Caught off-guard by the question, he replied, "Jiraiya is one of Konoha's best and strongest shinobi. He was actually one of my students a long time ago. Him and his 2 teammates earned the title of Legendary Sanin during the Second Shinobi War. He in turn was the one who trained your hero, Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage."

Seeing Naruto's head snap up with eyes wide, he was unprepared for his next question, "My father was the Yondaime?"

Unable to keep the shock from his face, he tried to compose himself, but he could see that it was too late, "Why do you ask me that Naruto? How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Well because, Kaa-chan mentioned that dad's sensei was Jiraiya who wrote this book she gave me and you just said that Jiraiya taught the Yondaime. Besides, you had this really shocked look on your face and your first question was how I guessed that not to tell me I'm wrong."

Chuckling, Sarutobi shook his head in wonder, "What kind of kid has that kind of deductive reasoning? You must be part Nara to have thought all of that out. But since it's too late to say anything else, I will tell you but you must be aware that the identity of your father is an S-class secret. You see Naruto, your father killed a lot of people in the last war and because of that, he also made a lot of enemies. Many people throughout he nations hate and fear him for his abilities. Because you are his son, many would seek retribution against him by torturing and killing you. You must never reveal who your father is until you have at least reached the rank of Jonin. That is the reason I have not told you until now. I wanted to keep you safe and I feared you may accidentally let it slip who your father is and put yourself in danger. Be very careful of everything you say and do in regards to the Yondaime. Understand?"

Seeing how serious Sarutobi was being, Naruto shook his head before saying that he understood. It was all so much to take in. I mean, last week he was nothing but a worthless orphan with no real home, no friends, and nothing to his name. Now he had Kaa-chan, he had a clan and he had some semblance of who he is, not to mention that he was the son of his hero, the Yondaime. Looking back at the letter and everything his Kaa-chan said to him, he asked, "Jiji, what else can you tell me about my parents?"

Sarutobi spent the next hour telling Naruto about both of his parents. Kushina, who came to Konoha from Uzushiogakure with the dream of being the first kunoichi Hokage. She was frequently made fun of and picked on for her red hair but when she started to fight back against those bullies, her nickname quickly turned from tomato to Red Hot-Blooded Habanero because she would beat up anyone who pissed her off which caused both men to give a slight shudder at the thought. Kushina grew in prominence because of her rivalry with Mikoto and her abilities in kenjutsu, fuinjutsu, ninjutsu, and of course her taijutsu. While she preferred kenjutsu, she was exceptional at ninjutsu because of her chakra reserve but also because of her clan technique of Adamantine Sealing Chains. A technique unique to the Uzumaki because of their large chakra reserve as well as the quality of their chakra. Kushina was a very spirited kunoichi who was dedicated to training and protecting her village and loved ones. She also had a fiery temper that could leave even the Yondaime a bloody mess when she was done with him if he really upset her. She was still one of the most loving and caring people you could ever meet even if a bit hard headed at times.

Minato was hailed as a prodigy and it showed in his jutsu. Minato was able to take the Nidaime's prized Flying Raijin and make it even better. His skill with fuinjutsu was unrivaled and he was hailed as the fastest shinobi of his time. There was very little that Minato did not excel at and he would likely have gone on to be the greatest Hokage Konoha has seen had he not sacrificed himself saving the village from the Kyubi. Minato was very excited to be a father but was also a nervous wreck. He always had a reason for everything he did and was very calculating but very caring. He loved Kushina and loved teaching because he saw it as his way of passing on the Will of Fire to make Konoha even stronger.

After being told everything, Jiji taught Naruto how to seal the book, hitai-ate, and the scroll back into his letter. The scroll was only sealed in the letter with the promise from Naruto that he will not show anyone that scroll and will not attempt to learn it without himself present. When Naruto agreed, he left the office with a lot on his mind. With so much to think on, there was only one place to go and that was his favorite spot… atop the Hokage Mountain, specifically the Yondaime's head. He always went up there when he wanted some time to think. It was peaceful, he could look out at the whole village and he always felt that by being there he was somehow closer to the Hokage he dreamed of surpassing. It was only now that he realized how ironic it was that he always sat on his Father's head.

Naruto spent the next several hours reading the letter over and over. While he was really interested in the book, he decided to start reading it tomorrow until Jiji got him those chakra exercises he was talking about. So he spent his time looking through the Shadow Clone scroll that his Kaa-chan wanted him to learn. He was getting even more excited the more he read about it. His Kaa-chan didn't just put how to perform the technique but how the technique works and all of its nuances. Apparently, the Shadow Clone Jutsu not only created solid copies of the user but those copies retain all the knowledge and experience that they accumulate making them perfect for scouting and intelligence gathering for those that have the mental fortitude. It turns out that the influx of new knowledge and experiences gained through clones is extremely taxing both mentally and chakra wise and can lead to chakra exhaustion and even death if the user is not careful. But it stands to reason that he could learn jutsu with his clones while he does something completely different, or his clones could read scrolls on jutsu or something while he does something else while still getting all that knowledge. The possibilities with this jutsu were limitless and he couldn't wait to try it out. Naruto was really interested to find out that the jutsu was initially created by the Nidaime to act in intelligence gathering and kamikaze attacks though the scroll didn't explain how to do that last part.

I wonder if I can gain any physical strength or stamina through a clone though. I wouldn't think so because the clones are chakra constructs and don't exactly have muscles. Even so, Shadow Clones could very well be the thing that makes him the best ninja ever and with this jutsu, it's only a matter of time before he surpasses the Yondaime, his father. Now that he thought about it, he also didn't know anything about fuinjutsu other than it was about seals. He should have asked Jiji about any inheritance his parents left him so he could buy some fuinjutsu books, but that can wait. He would rather focus on learning Kage Bunshin first anyway, then he can use them to learn everything he wants.

With that he realized how hungry he was and didn't see any reason to torture his tummy any longer so felt that there was no better way to celebrate his newfound knowledge than with the only other people that cared about him and a delicious bowl of ramen. After making his way through the curtain at Ichiraku he couldn't hold it in anymore and yelled out, "Hey Jiji, Nee-chan guess what? My Kaa-chan left me a letter before she passed!" Sitting down and seeing that he had both of their attentions he continued, "Turns out that my Kaa-chan loved me and feared she was going to die so she left me a letter to tell me that she loves me and she wishes she could have been around. Isn't that great?" Seeing the big wide grin on the boy's face, the two couldn't be happier for the boy who never had any family.

"That's wonderful Naruto! This calls for some celebratory miso ramen, on the house. Wait right there." Teuchi said with a grin almost as big as the boys. While Teuchi started on his ramen, Ayame made her way around the stand so she could hug the young boy to tell him how happy she was for him. With a blush, Naruto waited for his ramen before digging in with renewed vigor at having another free meal of Ichiraku's in one day. This day was probably the best day of his life, nothing could bring him down.

########## Naruto (20 minutes and 3 bowls of ramen later) ##########

After finishing his meal, Naruto decided that he would walk around the village a little. There was a big parade or something yesterday over some sort of alliance so people were in high spirits and the few on the streets this late paid him little mind. It was refreshing being able to walk around without all the hateful glares. Naruto made a turn and decided that he would walk through the clan districts. He tried to avoid it because it usually made him sad, but after hearing about the Uzumaki clan from Jiji, he wanted to walk by wondering what it would have been like to grow up in a clan like them with family and friends and acceptance. Walking by the Hyuga estate, Naruto didn't get far in his thoughts when he noticed a man jump over the wall of the compound with a young girl about his age tied and gagged under her arm. The man was dressed in all black with a black mask over his head so the only thing you could see were his eyes and the bridge of his nose. The rest of the his body was covered in black cloth without even a hitai-ate anywhere visible. The girl was what really drew his eyes. While he wasn't particularly interested in girls yet, there was no denying that this girl was really cute. She had short dark blue hair that looked more black in the night but with really cute bangs hanging from either side of her face. What really caught him though were her featureless white eyes with tinges of lavender filled with anxiety, fear, a tinge of hope, but then despair.

Naruto yelled, "Hey! Who the hell are you? And what do you think you doing with that girl?"

"Mind your own business you little brat before I decide you don't deserve to breath. Now leave before I choose to kill you after all."

Getting into what he hoped was a ready taijutsu stance, he glared at the man before smirking, "I think you are forgetting something very crucial here. We are still right next to the Hyuga compound, and I don't think one of the strongest clans in Konoha will be happy when they get here." Taking a breath to yell as loud as he can to alert others to the situation, the man's eyes slightly widen in fear. "HEL—gh" was all that Naruto was able to get out before the man was suddenly standing in front of him.

Confused, Naruto looked down to the sudden cold spot on his chest to see a widening blood stain surrounding a kunai where his heart usually is. Looking to the girl hanging from his arm to see horror in her eyes and tears streaking her face, he tried to smile at how caring she seemed, but it turned into a couch that caused blood to spill down his front and onto his attackers still present hand holding the kunai. Looking back up at the man, he looked at the boy with emotionless eyes before twisting the kunai, causing a jolt of pain to run through Naruto's body, before pulling it out and watching the boy fall to his knees where he was promptly kneed in the face to fall onto his back.

Naruto felt cold all over. He could feel what seemed like darkness closing in on him from all around until all he could see was the man standing above him. Unable to hear his last words, his eyes turned to the girl that was being taken from right in front of his eyes. The cute young girl that was being taken from her family and everyone she knows and loves for some unknown land with people who would likely hate her. That last thought reverberated through his mind like a boulder splashing onto previously calm waters. Not willing to give in until he is able to save this girl from the loneliness that he feels every day he instinctually reaches for a pool of power from somewhere inside himself.

The man was standing over the boy before quietly saying, "I told you, you should have left while you could still breathe. Stupid gaki." And with that the man waited a moment to extend his sense for anyone that may have heard the boys initial yelp. Luckily it didn't seem like it but he wasn't about to stick around and wait for the cavalry to show up. Before he could take off though, he sensed the largest concentration of chakra ever before in his life. What really scared him though was the feel of the chakra. It felt so evil that you could taste the hate in the air and he couldn't stop a drop of fear from spreading in him. Feeling the girl in his arms shaking, he wouldn't be surprised if this made her pass out, but to his surprise she didn't. Trying to focus on where it was coming from was near impossible. The chakra was so strong and everywhere that it might as well be coming from the girl. Looking back at the girl to see if it was her, he saw her staring with wide eyes at the boy he had just killed.

Looking down at the boy, he was shocked to see that the wound his kunai had made seconds ago was closed and the boy's face now had dark slashes on his cheeks that looked like whiskers and a couple pointy canines hanging from his lips. What was most startlingly though was the red chakra that was slowly enveloping the boy's entire body before his eyes opened and settled onto him. He had never before felt such raw hate that he couldn't help but feel a small drop of fear.

Before he could do anything else, he watched the boy launch himself at him. Too surprised to react, the girl was pulled from his arms while the boy's shoulder sent him flying into the wall of the compound behind him. Not strong enough that the wall broke down, but enough that the wall cracked and left a small indent. While he was a little shocked at the power his seemingly 5 year old boy had, that attack was enough to wake him up since it still didn't do much damage other than a few bruised ribs. Nothing he couldn't handle.

The girl was shocked at what she was seeing. She could have sworn that the young boy attempting to save her was killed. It crushed her when she thought he had been killed trying to save her. But now she was sitting on the ground by the copse of trees across the road from the wall of her compound. Confused about how she got here, she felt the rope binding her loosen only to see the previously dead boy's fingernail cut the rope. Once he had down that, he carefully removed the gag in her mouth before looking at her.

She couldn't help but look at him confused. What she saw and what she felt were so at odds, she may as well have been feeling hot and cold at the same time. The chakra that was surrounding them felt so evil and full of hate she wanted to pass out, but the boy's eyes a moment ago were so full of life and caring that she felt as safe as if she were in her mother's arms. The boy looked at her with concern before she heard him say, "Don't worry hime, I won't let him take you away from your family. I will fight until my very last breath, I won't give up. I promise, dattebayo!" Starting to smile at his words, a sharp spike of fear ran through her to suddenly see the hate in his eyes when he turned his head to view the man attempting to kidnap her make his way to his feet.

"Hahahaha! That was quite surprising gaki. I don't know how you are still alive of what kind of chakra this is, but you are still just a gaki. You shouldn't go making promises you can't keep. You will still die and she is still leaving her family to come with me." The man stated simply before he attacked.

Before Naruto could move, the man sent a kick to his head that he didn't have any time to block. He was sent through the wall of the compound, not more than 20 feet away from the indent the boy had just hit the man into. Pushing off some of the rubble from the wall, he slowly stood up as the pain receded from his rapidly healing body. He looked up in time to see the man pick up the girl again, intent on taking off before others could arrive and investigate which would likely be any second. Eyes widening in fear that he would get away, he moved as fast as he could, intending to punch the man square in the face as hard as he could. Before he started moving, he witnessed the girl's eyes harden and veins suddenly appear around her eyes when she hit the man in the stomach with an open palm. It didn't look like a strong hit but the man recoiled all the same. Not having stopped throughout that entire time, it was the perfect opening for him to strike the man.

Luckily, the man also dropped the girl when she struck him. While she hit the ground with a small "oompf" Naruto was able to bring his fist full force into the man's face, sending him into the tree a few feet behind him. Though he didn't go through the tree, he left a big enough impression that the tree toppled over away from them as the man's feet hit the ground again. Seeing the man cough up blood was only a small victory when they saw him snarl at them looking really pissed off and still ready for more. Just as Naruto took a defensive stance in front of the girl, the man moved and before Naruto could register what happened, he felt a familiar coldness seeping through his body. While his body attempted to heal the wound, the man removed the kunai to stab him in his side only to hit his ribs and once again burying the kunai in his stomach. Naruto was slowly starting to feel the depth of the cold again as his knees started to buckle and the red chakra surrounding him slowly started fading. When the man made a move to grab the girl again, Naruto interposed himself between them again and grabbed the man's extending arm with all of his remaining strength and he had a vague smile on his face when he felt it crack beneath his grip before he passed out.

Seeing the boy smirk gave the girl a small glimmer of hope before despair clutched her heart and she watched him collapse to the ground with blood coating his shirt and a small smirk still on his lips. She took a step back, fear clutching he heart before something caused her body to freeze. Looking at the boy again she thought back to everything that happened within the last 60 seconds. This boy, no older than herself confronted what was likely a Jonin even though he likely knew he would die and she thought he had. But he got back, and was able to free her while hurting the man only to be stabbed again and when she once again thought he was dead, he didn't give up but crushed the man's arm before slumping to the ground.

He promised that he wouldn't let me be taken from my family while he still breathed. And he didn't lie. He died, trying to save her. Feeling the emotions roaring to fear, hope, sorrow, admiration, pain, and ultimately despair, she lunged at the man intending to strike him down for killing this boy that so quickly wormed his way into her heart. Before she could strike however, he jumped back as a tall figure appeared in front of her.

"Hinata, are you hurt?"

Hearing the sound of her father's voice brought her the first real breath of relief all night before she responded, "I-I'm alright, F-father. B-but this b-boy who saved me, h-h-he's dead." And with that, she fell to the ground on top of the boy letting her tears flow freely.

Before he could respond, the man attempted to leave and while he was mid-air, a perfect replica of her father struck the man so that he fell back to where he was previously, unable to mold chakra. More ninja appeared, all with the same featureless white eyes that were the trademark of the Hyuga. The man who struck down the assailant watched impassively as his comrades restrained him before turning to his twin brother.

"Hiashi, I apologize for taking so long. A team has been sent to take head count of all Hyuga that are supposed to be in the village right now while another has been sent to conduct a sweep for any other possible offenders." The man looked the exact same as the man in front of him other than the hitai strapped across his brow.

"Thank you Hizashi. This boy saved Hinata, and while I may question myself later, I can't in good conscience allow him to die here if it can be helped. Please bring medics her promptly."

Turning he yelled at the nearest ninja to return here with medics immediately before he left in a swirl of leaves. Hearing what her father said, Hinata lifted her head to her father before asking, "H-h-he's not dead?"

Turning to his daughter, he replied, "Why don't you check for yourself?"

Hiashi was unprepared to see Hinata unconsciously using her Byakugan to observe the young boy and didn't know how to feel when he saw the unbridled joy on her face when she realized that he was alive and the gasp signifying the depths of the despair that flashed a moment later when she witnessed just how bad his condition was. Before Hinata could say anything else, a medic appeared next to Hiashi who then looked down at the boy.

"Is there anyone else inured? Or is this 'thing' truly the emergency I am here for? Because I refuse to be a part of saving that demon!" the medic said with more disdain in his voice than she could have ever imagined. Getting furious at the treatment towards the boy who just saved her life, Hinata was about to start yelling when she heard a voice behind her.

"You will treat that boy IMMEDIATELY! And if he dies tonight, then you can expect to be Ibiki's new chew toy for the foreseeable future. He has several new methods of torture that he has been eager to try out with no new victims to test them on."

"Hai, Hokage-sama! Right away!"

Turning to the Hokage, she didn't realize that she still had her hand running through the boy's hair until she saw the Hokage glance down at her with a small smile on her face. Realizing what she was doing, she quickly retracted her hand and brought it to her hand as she continued to kneel there next to the boy praying that he will be alright. Hinata was only vaguely aware of her father talking to the Hokage when her father's sharp voice broke through her revelry.

"Hinata!" Causing her to look at her father abashedly. "Can you please explain to the Hokage and myself exactly what happened?"

Hinata then began to relate everything that happened from the boy's appearance, to his attempt to cry for help, his supposed death, the red chakra, his freeing her, the fight, and his last seconds before he collapsed. Neither face betrayed any of the emotions or thoughts that were swirling away. The medic was less composed and at the mention of red chakra, the medic stopped for a split second before some killing intent released from Sarutobi reminded the medic exactly what would happen if he failed before returning to his task of healing the boy.

Shortly after Hinata finished recapping what happened, Hizashi reappeared and reported that no one else was missing and there were no indications of any additional adversaries than the one captured.

Hearing everything he needed, Sarutobi instructed that the kidnapper be sent straight to T&I (Torture & Investigation) without any medical treatment.

"Maybe Ibiki will be able to try out some of his new ideas after all." Sarutobi said with a sinister smirk which sent a shiver down the spine of everyone but the kidnapper. Oddly that reaction was not comforting and the kidnapper felt himself growing fearful once again.

"Now, is he stable enough to move to the hospital?" Sarutobi asked the medic who looks like he had just finished.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. There is nothing more I can do for him here and he is in a stable enough condition to move. Though I don't anticipate him waking up for 3-4 days, he should make a full recovery." Though the medic said the last bit with a bit of sorrow, Sarutobi let it pass with nothing more than a raised eyebrow.

"Alright. Good. Let's get him to the hospital then. I need to go inform the rest of the council. Dog!" At this, an ANBU with a dog mask appeared in front of Sarutobi, "Please go assemble the council members for me." Turning to Hiashi he continued, "Take care of your daughter, and once you have done so, I will see you with the rest of the council."

"Hokage-sama?" Turning to the quiet and hesitant voice of the girl that was watching over the boy, he smiled down at her before replying, "Yes?"

"D-do you know who t-this boy is? I-I never got a chance to learn in his name with e-everything that was h-happening."

Smiling at the girl because he could see how much she already cared about the boy, he answered her honestly, "His name is Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo."

########## Naruto's Mindscape ##########

Naruto woke up in what felt like a puddle, but what was even weirder was the lack of water that clung to his body when he sat up. Confused, Naruto looked around and found himself in a dark, flooded hallway. There was a red pipe following the hallway and other red pipes leading from the main pipe to each door. There were numerous rooms on either side of the hallway in both directions, as far as he could see. Standing up, Naruto looked both directions while trying to come up with any ideas about where he was or how he got here. During his contemplation, he heard a deep rumble. Not having any idea which way to go, he decided to follow the noise to see what it was.

Heading the direction his feet were facing when he woke up, he walked slowly listening for any sound. He noticed that while he did not get wet from the water at his feet, it still sounded exactly like walking through water. Hearing the deep rumble again, but closer he approached the only open door he had come across which also seemed to be where the rumble was coming from. As that thought crossed his mind, another rumble reverberated through the hallway, confirming that he found the right door.

Opening the door slowly so he could peer inside, he found what looked like a normal square room with the same red pipes lining the ceiling. Going from one side of the room to the other were thick red pillars with a door that had a tag on it that said 'Sealing'. Looking around the room as he walked up to the gate, he didn't see anything else. Looking past the pillars, Naruto was getting a feeling he was looking at a cage considering how much hate seemed to be radiating from behind the pillars.

Once he got a little closer, he could see a massive red fox laying down just staring at him with hate filled eyes. Naruto was shocked when he saw how many tails the fox had. 9! 9 tails meant that this had to be the Kyubi no Kitsune, the biju that he was told the Yondaime killed years ago. Does that mean he is dead?

" **No, you aren't dead you simpleton. You were lied to about my demise. I am a mass of chakra that has been around since the beginning of chakra, and you cannot kill a biju, especially not me!"**

"Well, if you weren't killed, then what happened to you? And why am I here? How did I get here?"

" **We are currently inside your head, or your mindscape. I was sealed inside you by your** _ **precious**_ **Yondaime, and you are here because I want to yell at you FOR ALMOST GETTING US KILLED, YOU COMPLETE BUMBLING FOOL!"** Wincing at the words and how loud they were, Naruto couldn't help but be a little terrified.

"I'm sorry, but why do you care if I die? I would think that you wouldn't care about me or anyone else."

" **You're right. I don't care about you or anyone else, but if you die, then I go with you. Granted, I will come back, but it will take years and it is extremely uncomfortable so it is something I would like to avoid if at all possible. Which means that you can't just go around doing whatever you want! There are limits to what my chakra can heal, especially considering how pathetic your puny body is. I am the Kyubi no Kitsune, I will not allow you to be seen as weak, so you better get stronger, fast, before I decide you don't deserve to be my Jinchuriki. You may have noticed that you are a good bit smarter than most humans, especially those around your age. I have used my chakra to accelerate your mental growth. You're welcome. Once you start eating healthy food instead of that disgusting slop you call ramen, I can do the same for your physical growth. Now get to work getting stronger or I may change my mind about allowing you to live and I will just kill you myself. Do you understand?"**

Naruto slowly nodded his head before realizing what the Kyubi just said, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY CALLING RAMEN SLOP? Ramen was given to us by Kami himself and is a treat to be treasured above all others. But, um … what's a jinchuriki?"

Glaring at Naruto for his outburst about ramen, **"Jinchuriki is the term given to the humans that have been selected to hold a biju. Humans thought it was a wonderful idea to attack us and trap us inside you useless sacks of meat because they fear our power. Humans have tried to use us to make themselves stronger, not that you filthy creatures care about anyone but yourselves, selfish little peons. I was just** _ **lucky**_ **enough to get stuck with you for a Jinchuriki."**

Looking at the ground, Naruto slowly nodded his head trying to absorb everything he was hearing when they Kyubi decided to speak again, interrupting his thoughts.

" **Now before you leave, there are two things you need to do. This sewer is disgusting and I refuse to live in it. You WILL begin meditating every night before you go to bed so that you can change what my cage looks like. In exchange, I will help to increase your chakra coils to allow for a much larger chakra reserve."** _ **Not that he could stop that from happening, the seal forced a small amount of his chakra to mold with the boy's chakra and he couldn't stop the process, not that the kid needs to know that.**_

" **Second, you will allow me access to your senses so I can better observe the events taking place outside this disgusting sewer. Now before you start getting all paranoid, this is nothing sinister. The seal the Yondaime used currently has me stuck in your mind with nothing but your horrid memories to pass the time. Allowing me access to your senses will grant you increased sight, smell, and hearing because you will be sharing them with my own enhanced senses. It will also allow me to communicate with you whenever so I can tell you when you are being stupid. All you have to do is concentrate and will me to be able to have a connection to you through the seal. You don't even have to loosen the seal for this."** _ **Seeing the young boy concentrate with a frown on his face before smiling up at him, the Kyubi grumbled at how the boy was obviously misunderstanding something.**_

"Sure thing partner. I think I did it. At least it feels like there is something there now that wasn't there before."

" **THIS IS NOT A PARTNERSHIP! You are going to do what I said because it is in your best interests. Do not let it get to your head, you are only here because I ALLOWED IT. I may be sealed, but I am still infinitely smarter and stronger than you. I am a being you can never hope to match, so get this through your tiny, thick skull … WE. ARE NOT. PARTNERS! You will do what I say, or I will kill you. Is there any confusion about what I just said? No? Good. Now leave! And don't forget what I said about changing this putrid sewer!"**

Feeling himself being pushed from his mindscape, Naruto tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids were just so heavy. Unable to open his eyes, he tries listening but can't hear anything other than the soft footsteps of people outside his room though this confused Naruto because he could never hear this well before.

I guess that means I wasn't dreaming and I really do have the Kyubi's enhanced senses.

" _ **Figure that out all on your own have you? I must not have done a good job making you smarter if you are still this dumb. Can you even imagine how stupid you would be if I hadn't stimulated your cognitive facilities? Kami, let no one have to put up with you like that."**_

Hearing that deep rumbling voice from inside his head shocked him enough that he reflexively opened his eyes and attempted to sit up. That was the exact wrong thing to do. Between the bright light now stinging his eyes and his still sore injuries, sitting up was painful.

" _ **And case in point. How did I ever get stuck with a half-wit like you? Maybe I really would be better off just eating you."**_

"Hey! There is no need for all of that. It was just a reaction. And once I learn my Kaa-chan's Kage Bunshin, I will become the best swordsmen, seal master, and ninja ever, dattebayo!"

" _ **Don't talk out loud, it makes you sound even more stupid than normal and I won't allow that. I won't have people thinking the Kyubi jinchuriki is insane, you are not the Ichibi Jinchuriki so don't act like it. I am the most cunning biju, known for my intelligence and power, so I won't have you sully my name with insanity. You can communicate with me by thinking."**_

" _Ichibi? Does that mean there are more Jinchuriki out there than just me?"_ Thinking he wasn't alone, Naruto started to get excited.

" _ **Yes. There are 9 biju and they are all identified by their number of tails. I have the most tails because I am the strongest, no matter what the others may tell you. The Ichibi however tends to leave its Jinchuriki with a psychotic personality that matches the biju within. I bet the Ichibi wasn't stuck with some half-wit shrimp for a Jinchuriki like I am."**_

" _Ok, so I understand you all were imprisoned out of fear and so people could use your power for themselves, but do you have to be so hateful in everything you say? Getting angry over everything isn't going to change anything. It's just making you angrier with no purpose but to make you miserable."_ This caused the Kyubi to mentally blink a few times at the surprisingly wise words from this kid, not that Naruto was aware of the Kyubi's reaction.

" _ **Well what do you know? Looks like there might be a few nuggets of intelligence in there after all. I really am a miracle worker. You're welcome for that."**_

Rolling his eyes at the response and before Naruto could respond, a medic walked in to presumably check on him or run some tests because when he saw that Naruto was awake, he dashed back to the doorway and yelled for a doctor. A moment later, another man came into the room and they both began checking him out while asking him questions unaware of the swirl of leaves that were left by his door next to a man with a black robe and porcelain mask.


	2. Burgeoning Friendships

########## Sarutobi ##########

Sarutobi was going over the reports from the attempted kidnapping last night. Turns out that the kidnapper was really Junta, the head of the Kumo delegation to sign the peace treaty. A letter was already sent to Kumo detailing what had happened and that they are expecting no more than a squad of ninja to arrive within 4 days' time with an explanation. Sarutobi had just finished lighting his pipe and couldn't stop the exasperated sigh from escaping thinking back to the council meeting last night/this morning.

 _FLASHBACK_

 _Sarutobi was sitting in the meeting hall with all its members save for one. Hiashi strode into the room head held high, as regal as ever, before taking his seat as the Hyuga clan head._

" _Now that we are all here, perhaps you can finally tell us what the hell happened and why we all sensed the Kyubi tonight?" Turning his head to his old teammate, Homura, he couldn't help but wonder when they had started becoming so different. They used to be of like mind and have near to the same philosophy on politics and how to best lead the village, but that had changed drastically over the years. Collecting himself for the coming outburst, Sarutobi decided to get this out of the way so he could get some much needed sleep._

" _As you are all aware, the Kyubi's presence was felt tonight. The reason being Naruto was almost killed twice tonight just outside the Hyuga compound. In his near-death experience, the Kyubi chakra came forth to save the boy's life, but you will all be happy to know that he never lost control." Seeing the range of emotions flicker across the council's face was slightly disturbing albeit revealing. While most of the shinobi kept their mask on, some had a tiny flicker of curiousity or appreciation with a few looks of anger and concern. Sarutobi decided to continue before he could be interrupted._

" _Before you get the wrong idea, it was not the Hyuga who attacked. It was actually Junta, the Kumo ambassador for the peace treaty, who attacked Naruto while he was in the middle of attempting to kidnap Hiashi's daughter, Hinata, thus the reason for his late appearance. I'm sure you all will not begrudge him the peace of settling some things with his clan in the wake of such an attempt." Seeing the shocked look on their faces he pressed on before any outcry could be unleashed at this news._

" _While Naruto has been unable to confirm any of this because he was unconscious when help arrived, I can assume he was just out for a stroll daydreaming when he encountered Junta in the middle of his kidnapping attempt. Hinata was not covered, but only bound and gagged, so when Naruto witnessed this, he attempted to get the man to put her down …" Sarutobi then relates the rest of the story exactly as Hinata had informed him not 1 hour ago._

" _So now that T &I has him in holding and he has been treated, there is the matter of what to do with Kumo. A message has already been sent demanding an explanation for this action and they should be here in approximately 4-5 days." Sarutobi was not surprised to hear the voice of his once teammate and now political rival, Danzo._

" _While that is all well and good, this incident has shown us exactly why he should be placed into my care. With my training and guidance, we would not have to worry about this kind of thing happening again. He could be raised properly as a more powerful weapon to Konoha than he already is. If he was able to survive an attack from a Jonin as a 5 year old boy just imagine what I could with him by the time he reaches genin age. He will be near Kage level when I get through with him!"_

 _Seeing a few heads nod in agreeance, Sarutobi quickly interjected before too many agreed with Danzo._

" _That is not your decision to make. You would isolate the boy and detach him from his emotions to be a heartless tool. Though you may see the benefits of that, I do not. Especially given the way that the village treats him, turning him into an emotionless tool may cause him to turn on the very village that created such a tool. No! The best thing to do is to surround him with bonds of friendship that will tie him to this village and cement his loyalty to the village. He does not need your help Danzo, to become a powerful shinobi. He is already well on his way."_

 _Seeing that more people were agreeing with what he said than Danzo, he glanced at the man to see that Danzo also recognized that Sarutobi won this round but sent a small glare that said next time won't be so easy. Sarutobi then turned to the Hiashi asking him if he had anything he would like to add about the night's events._

" _While everything you have said is true and based on Hinata's account, the boy seemed to be in control throughout the fight, I for one would like Jiraiya to take a look at the boy's seal and perhaps train him at least a little in meditation and controlling his emotions before he is to interact with other children. He saved Hinata tonight, I won't deny that but I still can't help but have some reservations about his level of control. Before I place my daughter in further danger by being near him, I think it would be best if he receives some amount of training."_

 _Sarutobi was shocked at what he was hearing. Naruto had just saved his daughter but he didn't want Naruto around the daughter he still has thanks to that very boy. But thinking about everything that Hiashi had said and seeing the other clan heads agree got Sarutobi thinking. Every clan head had an heir that was around Naruto's age, and all of them were concerned for their kids so they are just looking out for their child's best interests. He couldn't fault them for that._

" _Very well, Hiashi. What you say is true and not unreasonable. I will send word to Jiraiya to have him return to the village and provide some training for the boy. Unfortunately, Jiraiya is in the middle of a deep infiltration mission and he may not receive word for several weeks. Now if there is nothing else, I have much to do." Before Sarutobi could move, Danzo's voice rang out through the council room again._

" _And are we to just ignore the blatant attack on one of our clans by Kumo while they are supposed to be here for peace talks? I warned you that we should not have engaged in these peace talks and we should have just crushed Kumo. Now see where we are. Kumo must understand that this subterfuge and dishonorable display will not go without reprisal. If we do nothing, we will be seen as weak and the other nations may then decide to attack us themselves."_

" _I have not forgotten, but until T &I is done with their investigation I don't see that the middle of night with only half the story is the best time to have this discussion. Do you Danzo? The council will convene again once all investigations are complete and all reports are thoroughly examined. Or do you think a half-asleep council with incomplete information is the best time to have this discussion?"_

 _Sarutobi almost let a smile grace his face seeing the look of indignation on Danzo's face. It took a great effort not to let that joy affect his tone with his next words._

" _I thought you might agree with that. Now, as I was saying, I think that is all that we need to discuss at the moment. Goodnight."_

 _And with that, Sarutobi left the room to be followed by the rest of the council. He would need to get some sleep. Tomorrow was not going to be an easy day and the paperwork following this incident was already giving him a cramp._

 _END FLASHBACK_

"Hokage-sama. You asked to be informed when the boy awoke." The ANBU with the badger mask reported formally which surprised Sarutobi because he was told that he boy shouldn't wake for several more days. Not that he should be surprised. The regenerative powers of the Kyubi were absolutely amazing. Almost makes him a little jealous. Shaking off those thoughts he quickly gets up to make his way to go see the young boy.

########## Naruto ##########

Before the doctor left, Naruto found out that after he had passed out, help had arrived in time to detain the man and save the girl. No one else was injured other than him and the attacker.

Naruto was sitting up looking out the same window he was staring out just the day before. He had a lot to think about after his little discussion with the Kyubi, if you could call it a discussion. It was more like a scolding with the Kyubi just yelling at him about everything. Naruto wanted to be mad at it especially considering the Kyubi was the reason he is so hated, but then a thought crossed his mind … why? Why was the Kyubi like this?

Was it just the way he was created or did he become like this because of his life experiences the same as any other living being? Not believing someone can be born a certain way, he decided to think about the latter option. If it is a result of his life experiences, then what could have happened to make him so angry? Well it wasn't that hard to figure out. I mean he is a biju and is one of the most powerful beings in the elemental nations, but he is stuck inside me, a child. That has to be upsetting for anyone, especially someone so powerful.

But he is stuck because he was attacking our village. He only had a short discussion with the Kyubi but even he could tell that the Kyubi was not stupid and the Kyubi would not attack the village for no reason. So why did the Kyubi attack?

Just when he was about to ask the Kyubi, Jiji opened the door to his room and strode in with a concerned look on his face. Deciding to try to ease his concern, "Hiya Jiji!" Waving his hand excitedly and yelling loud the same way he did yesterday, he continued his greeting, "I'm having a strange sense of déjà vu. It's almost as if we've been here before."

Seeing the Hokage chuckle softly and smile, Naruto felt a lot better having made his Jiji smile. It was probably his favorite thing in the world, being the reason behind someone's happiness if only for a moment. Well, that and a big warm bowl of Ichiraku Ramen. Sometimes it was hard to tell, but seeing Jiji go from concerned to happy so quickly put ramen at a close second for now, especially when he heard the concern in his voice.

"How are you feeling Naruto? You haven't really been out of this room long enough for the bed to forgot the impressions you left from your last visit, so I can only assume that you are fairly comfortable." Giving a smile and a wink to continue the joke made everything seem so much less serious than it was. It always amazed him how Naruto could just naturally put his mind at ease with his presence and a few words.

"I'm feeling alright Jiji. Just kinda tired. The fox did a great job healing me, even if he is a bit short-tempered." Not understanding why Jiji had such a shocked and worried look on his face, it took Naruto a moment to remember that Jiji wasn't aware that Naruto knew about his extra occupant.

"Fox? And what do you mean short-tempered?"

This prompted Naruto to start explaining his stroll in his mindscape and his conversation with the fox explaining how the Kyubi is responsible for accelerating the growth of his cognitive facilities, as the Kyubi put it, and he intends to help his physical growth as well. While it did seem that Naruto didn't do anything bad, he still stressed the importance of the Yondaime's seal and that if he ever tampered with it then the Kyubi could get free and destroy the village and everyone in it since there is no one strong enough to seal it again.

"So the Kyubi is the reason everyone in the village hates me huh?" Seeing the look of sorrow on Naruto's face broke Sarutobi's heart, so he sat on the bed beside Naruto.

"The people are blinded by their fear and their fear makes them do and believe stupid things. Something you will learn as you grow older, people are stupid. Given proper motivation, people will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true. People can only rarely tell the difference between a lie and the truth.

"The people believe you are the Kyubi because they fear it is true and there are few emotions more powerful than fear. Fear can dull your senses and drive you to stupid, rash decisions you wouldn't otherwise make. You must always guard yourself against any actions you make out of fear. I am not saying that you shouldn't feel fear, for that is impossible. But when you do become fearful of something, ensure that you are careful of your thoughts and actions so that you do not do something you might regret later, like some of the villagers."

Naruto began to nod his head a little in understanding but before they could continue their conversation, the door opened and Hiashi entered the room with his young daughter, Hinata, in tow. Sarutobi smiled seeing them here not expecting anyone else to visit, especially after Hiashi's statement in the council meeting. Before Sarutobi could comment, Hiashi spoke up, "My daughter was adamant about coming here to check on the boy to make sure he was ok. Though I must admit that I am surprised he is awake already."

Naruto only glanced at the man who had walked in before turning his full attention to the young girl that followed right behind him partially concealed by the tall man. It was the same girl that he had seen last night.

"Hi! You are the pretty girl from last night, right? You're not hurt are you? I don't really remember anything after that guy got up from hitting the tree. I was a little worried that he hurt you after that. It's strange, but I don't even know your name. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo! What's yours?"

Hinata couldn't stop the deep blush from appearing on her face at being called pretty by the young boy who had almost given his life to protect her. Seeing the expectant look on his face though, Hinata slowly stepped forward and replied, "H-h-hai. M-my name is H-hyuga H-hinata. I wanted to say, t-t-thank you very much for s-saving my life!"

Naruto then lowered his head a little with his own blush, embarrassed by her thank you since no one had ever really been happy with him before with the exception of Jiji and Ichiraku Ramen. "I'm just really glad that everything worked out in the end and that you got to stay with your family. There is nothing more important than family."

Hinata couldn't agree more. Her family was the most important thing to her. They gave her love and support and she would hate to think about her life without that. Not wanting to get off topic, unable to take her eyes off the floor, Hinata then took off the necklace she was wearing and held it out to the boy who only looked at her before looking at the necklace and once again looking at her.

Hiashi was astonished at the gesture. But he watched as Hinata continued to blush as she stuttered, "I-I-I w-would like you to h-have t-this. A-as a t-thank you for saving me."

Naruto, having never been given a present before, didn't really know what to do or say so he numbly took the necklace to look at. It was a necklace with a small coin sized pendant on it. The pendant was a circle with a yellow background and a red flame shaped like a tear. Naruto started to get a little teary-eyed before looking back at the girl and responding with as much sincerity as he could muster, "Thank you so much! I have never been given a gift before! But can you tell me what it means?"

Seeing that Hinata was having a little trouble with responding, Hiashi decided to help his daughter, "That is the symbol of the Hyuga clan. It was given to Hinata from her grandfather on the day of her birth. She has given you a symbol of her status as heir to the Hyuga clan. That is why you see her name carved into the back of it."

Naruto turned it over to find that Hinata's name was indeed carved there. Finally hearing everything that Hiashi said, Naruto attempted to give it back to her saying that he couldn't accept something as important as this. It is something special to her and should not be given away.

Hiashi was pleased to see this because he did not want Hinata to give away her necklace. It would cause a headache with his father if he ever found out. His father would never approve of someone outside the clan in possession of something like that, especially not this young boy. Hiashi was even more surprised when Hinata stood her ground and forced him to take it because if it hadn't been for him then she wouldn't have her family and she wants him to always remember that and to always remember her.

Sarutobi was smiling throughout the entire exchange not bothering to interrupt but just happy that someone else was finally seeing just how special Naruto really is.

Now that Hinata came to say thank you and give her gift, Hiashi asked Hinata to wait outside for him while he spoke with the young boy. Once Hinata had left the room, he turned back to the boy who had a confused look on his face.

"Uzumaki Naruto. I am Hyuga Hiashi, the Hyuga clan head. I would like to formally extend my thanks to you for your efforts in rescuing my daughter."

Naruto couldn't keep a grin off his face thinking that he was somehow in trouble based on his serious face. Instead, Naruto replied saying, "It was nothing. I was happy to do it. Hinata seems like a really great girl and I can't wait to be friends with her."

"That actually brings me to my next point. I do not want you to come near my daughter or my family." Hiashi barely paused at the look of shock on the boy's face before continuing, "I will never forget the what you have done but you do not have complete control of your… burden yet and until that day, I don't want my daughter hurt because of your lack of control. I won't take that necklace away, but I do hope that you come to understand the significance of what Hinata has given you."

Seeing the boy's face go from being so happy to utterly crushed nearly broke his heart to see. He was a man who prided himself on casting aside his emotions as all Hyuga do, but there was something about this boy that just made him touch your very soul. Maybe it was that he very clearly showed everything he was thinking and feeling with his face and body language that made it so difficult. Remembering that he is doing this for his daughter and her safety, he continued.

"I don't want you thinking I hold any animosity towards your Uzumaki-san, but I must do what is best for my daughter and my family. And right now, being near you is certainly not best for her. Learn to control your burden and ease everyone's concern of any possible episodes happening and I will retract my objection to you being near my daughter. Until then, I want you to respect my wishes and stay away from her. Do you understand?"

Naruto couldn't hold back the tears any more. He thought he had just gained his first real friend. He was already thinking about how much fun they would have going to a park and playing ninja or pushing each other on a swing or playing on a teeter-totter. He had never played on one before because he had always been alone. Then this girl shows up and now it seems possible for him to play with a real friend. All of a sudden though, he is told that he can't be near her anymore because he is afraid that the fox will somehow get free and kill her. It was absolutely the most painful experience he had ever had in his life. The pain of being stabbed was nothing compared to the feel of his heart being stabbed by those words.

Unable to say anything, he couldn't bring himself to look up but continued staring at the necklace in his lap while he slowly nodded his head, tears flowing down his face at the lost friend he never had.

Sarutobi watched with a frown on his face as Hiashi left the room only to turn to Naruto and see tears pouring down his face. Unable to bear it any longer, Sarutobi moved closer and pulled him into a hug where the boy started wailing. It was several minutes before he stopped moaning aloud and twice as long again before his exhaustion overtook him and he fell asleep. Sarutobi wanted nothing more than to stay there so he could be there for the boy when he woke up, but he had too much work to do. Paperwork was piling up, especially after last night and he still had to prepare for Kumo to arrive. Laying the boy down on his bed, he looked down to see that the pendant was grasped firmly in his hand before he left the hospital with orders that Naruto was to come see him once he was discharged.

########## Naruto, THREE MONTHS LATER ##########

Naruto was laying on his back gasping for breath thinking back on everything that had happened since his encounter with the Hyugas. After his release from the hospital, Naruto had spent all of his time trying to complete the leaf chakra control exercises. First it required that he maintain the leaf on his palm while it was upside down, then he needed to be able to hold a leaf on each fingertip, and then again by keeping a leaf on his forehead. Once he was able to run up and down the stairs to the Hokage Mountain with leaves stuck to his palms, fingers, and forehead simultaneously, he felt he could move on to the next exercise, Tree Climbing.

It took him a little over three weeks before he was able to master Tree Climbing. Sure, he was able to do it after the first several days, but to master it he needed to be able to do it for hours on end without thought. After that came Water Walking and that was the most difficult taking him little over a month to finally master. But he was finally able to spend the entire morning Water Walking while running without stopping and without losing concentration. The only thing he could think to do now would be to either start Water Walking while on a constantly running river and then move to Water Walking while the surface was randomly disrupted by either rocks or jutsu.

But that wasn't important. He had finally finished all of the major chakra control exercises and he was certain that he had enough chakra to learn the Kage Bunshin. It was with that thought he decided to finally head home for the night since the sun had set some time ago. It was on the quiet walk back to his rundown apartment that he heard urgent whispers in a nearby alley. Listening from around the corner he heard their urgent whispers.

"This is stupid! We can't just sit here in an alley waiting to be caught. We need to get out of here before they find us."

"Quiet! If we just take off then it will attract attention of the nearby patrols. They will move on in a few moments, so we sit tight then we move. Moving too early is worse than sitting here at the moment, so have some god damn patience! You wanted to be a part of this so do what you are told, _Genin_?"

"All you did was stand there while I was the one to drug and grab the Inuzuka pups. What kind of Chunin does that?"

Hearing that they had stolen pups from the Inuzuka, Naruto peaked around the corner and saw that the individuals had their backs to the walls with their peripherals seeing up and down the alley. The individual with his back to Naruto's side of the alley had a sack over his back, he assumed had the pups they just mentioned. Rushing through thoughts on what to do he had to reach a decision before they did anything else.

He could do nothing in which case they may or may not get away which left a bad taste in his mouth if for no other reason than the regret let alone that he hated kidnappers taking anyone away from their family. He could yell and someone may or may not hear him and someone may or may not come, which would also alert them to his presence losing the element of surprise, an altogether risky idea. The only other viable option was to try grabbing the pups away from them and taking them back to the Inuzuka. This was by far the most dangerous because he would have to confront them then try to outrun them, not to mention it would very well look like he had stolen the pups. If that happened though, attention would likely be called and the pups wouldn't be taken from their families even if he would likely end up getting beaten for it. It wasn't the most appeasing plan, but it was the most sure fire plan he had of making sure those pups made it back home. For this to work, he will need to hurt one of them and hope the guy carrying the pups isn't holding on tight.

All those plans taking no more a few seconds to go through his mind, Naruto takes a quick breath and runs as fast as he can towards the two shinobi. Hoping that startling them would give him an edge, he runs at them screaming waving his hands over his head acting as crazy as can be. This had the desired effect of the one ninja dropping the pups to reach for a weapon. Because Naruto was running straight for the ninja with the pups he jumped back down the alley pulling out a kunai while the other jumps back but hits the wall. While the ninja looks over his shoulder to see the wall, Naruto kicks out at his knee as he bends down to pick up the pups hoping to incapacitate the ninja before immediately bolting back down the alley and towards the Inuzuka compound.

Though Naruto didn't hear any breaks or cracks, he did hear them both curse. Unfortunately, the one that previously held the pups was able to throw his Kunai before Naruto rounded the corner and he was hit square between the shoulders. Using the extra adrenaline, Naruto took off as fast as his legs could carry him letting out a single bellow as loud as he could of, "INUZUKA!"

Afraid to look behind him, Naruto kept on running as fast as he could. Naruto quickly reached back to pull out the kunai from his back just in case. Hearing two sets of boots behind him, Naruto turns down the next alley and uses the close walls and his new found chakra control to jump from one wall to the other to make it to the roof as fast as possible. Hopefully they wouldn't expect him to be up there and he could buy a few seconds, not to mention, it would skylight himself and attract a patrol.

Just as Naruto's foot hit the roof of the building, he felt a foot kick him in the face sending him back onto the street he was just on before turning down the alley. Though the kick surprised him enough to let go of the kunai, Naruto was able to bring the pups into his stomach and turn so that his back slid along the ground. Before he could do anything else, 2 shuriken hit each of his legs above the knee. If he would have had difficulty getting away from them before, it was impossible now with the damage to his legs.

Naruto looked up from the ground to see 2 very angry shinobi and before they could do anything else, Naruto heard another pair of feet hit the ground behind him. Chancing a glance over his shoulder, he sees a girl who looks to be about 11. She had brown hair in a ponytail with two long strips of hair as bangs on either side of her face and one red tattoo shaped like a triangle on each cheek and she looked to be in a foul mood.

Before anyone could say anything, the girl spoke, "May I ask just what is going on here?"

Before Naruto got a chance to say anything, one of the ninja in front of him spoke up, "We found this demon brat trying to steal some of your pups so we decided to step in and stop him. We had just stopped him when you arrived."

"Really? How is it that you are aware of pups being stolen from our kennel when no one outside our clan has been informed yet?"

Even Naruto could see that the 2 ninja were starting to sweat a little at this and saw them reach a decision. Apparently, they didn't think they could talk their way out of this and figured it would be better to just attack. The shinobi that he kicked in the alley was trying to run past Naruto on his right so as he came to Naruto, he sent out a kick to the same knee as last time. He was able to connect but again, there was no crack or anything. Watching him drop to the ground, Naruto quickly grabbed a shuriken out of his leg and threw it at the shinobi that had fallen next to him.

The first shuriken hit him in the arm and before Naruto could grab another one, he saw a flash of steel coming quickly towards his throat. Too slow to avoid it altogether, he turned his face away and attempted to roll. Because the shinobi was striking with his right hand, Naruto's shoulder moved the shinobi's arm out of its original path and Naruto only received a cut to the cheek making an "X" with his whisker birth marks.

Just as Naruto was turning to put his feet towards the shinobi to keep him away, he heard a growl followed by a blur of white and a thump right where his opponent was. Naruto looked up to see a dog the size of a tiger with its front paws standing on the shinobi's arms and its bared teeth inches away from his throat. Naruto quickly looked back to where the girl was only to see that her opponent was lying on his stomach with his arm twisted behind his back being held by said girl with her foot on his neck. Next to the girl though was a tall and very angry looking kunoichi with a wild look in her eye to match her appearance and her hair.

Seeming to finish her conversation with the girl, the kunoichi started making her way towards him, "Well then pup. I think it's about time you told just what exactly is going on here and why you appear to be holding 3 pups that belong to my clan."

Naruto then proceeded to tell her about his chance encounter with the 2 shinobi and his attempt to bring them back which led him to being kicked onto the ground where they were standing. Once he finished his story, the woman apparently decided to question him.

"And just what exactly made you think that you would be able to outrun 2 trained shinobi when you aren't even old enough for the Academy yet?"

"I knew that I wouldn't be able to get away. But the other options were to do nothing, yell for help and hope that someone believes me, or actively try to take the pups back. By taking the pups back and yelling, I had the best chance of drawing attention and getting the pups back to you. So, you tell me what I should have done instead if you were in my position?"

"Well pup, you thought that out surprisingly well. But tell me why exactly you care so much that you would put yourself at risk. You had to know that there was a more than decent chance that you could have died tonight if things went a little different." To her surprise, the blonde boy at her feet just shrugged and stared intently at the ground before responding.

"They were being taken from their family. Family is important and I could never live with myself if I stood by and did nothing while a family was torn apart… My life might actually bring someone happiness for once." Though the last was said under his breath that even the Inuzuka barely heard him.

During the discussion, the young girl had brought over the other shinobi though he was now tied up and had listened to Naruto's response. Though the girl could see the tears that were hitting the floor, she couldn't understand what the boy meant but before she could think on it more, her mother got her attention.

"Hana, I need you to take this young man here to the hospital while I take these _esteemed shinobi_ to have a little chat with Ibiki. Kuromaru here can take the pups back to the kennel and stand watch while Aimi looks over the pups. I know you would like to but you still have some ways to go in your studies." Without waiting for a response, she grabbed both the shinobi and took off.

"Thanks for saving the pups. My name is Inuzuka Hana. What's yours?"

Naruto finally looked up now that he was able to stop himself from crying even though the lines his tears left were still evident on his otherwise dirty face. Though Naruto would normally be really excited about meeting someone that didn't look at him with hate, his recent experience with the Hyugas taught him not to get his hopes up. Standing up, Naruto finally replies, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you."

Though the boy smiled, Hana thought it looked a little forced. Not that she could blame him. She had seen the kick he took which looked like it had been painful. Not to mention the 3 shuriken that he was only just now able to take out of his legs. Just as he finished pulling out the last shuriken, she spoke up, "So, do you need me to carry you or do you think you can walk to the hospital?"

Naruto tossed her a confused look for a second before remembering what she was told to do. "I don't think the hospital is necessary. Just a few scratches. Nothing that a doctor or medic should worry about. I appreciate the concern though."

Before Naruto could take more than a step though, he felt a hand on his shoulder stopping him. "I'm sure you heard, but my Mother has asked me to take you to the hospital. Now what kind of daughter would I be if I didn't do what she asked of me when it is so reasonable? Especially considering it is the least that we can do for someone willing to sacrifice themselves for our clan."

Without saying another word, Naruto just slowly nodded his head while following beside Hana to the hospital. They were travelling in peace for a while before Hana decided to speak up. "I want to personally thank you for what you did. I know that most people just look at our partners and see pets, but they really are family to us. It means a lot that you stepped in because you didn't want those pups to be separated from their family. Especially in my case because those pups are designated to be my partners. They are just a few short weeks away from being fully trained and able to stay at my side. So… Thank you."

Naruto couldn't help but feel glad at her heartfelt words. Then again Hinata had seemed very earnest as well until her father told him to stay away from her. What if Hana's mother did the same thing? He couldn't go through that pain again. Not wanting to be rude he put his smile back on his face before responding.

"I'm just glad that everything worked out and you were the first one to show up."

"So, you must really love your family then if you are willing to go through so much for someone else's family."

"I don't have a family."

This response was so opposite of what she was expecting that she couldn't stop the surprise from showing on her face or help that she stopped walking for just a second at the surprise of his statement. What really shocked her too though was how depressed and devoid of emotion he was while saying it.

"Well surely you have someone you can consider like family. Who takes care of you?"

"No one. I live by myself."

This time she really did stop walking and couldn't keep the concern and confusion from her face. Taking a few hurried steps to catch back up, she couldn't stop herself from asking, "But how does a boy your age live alone? Where do you live? How do you eat?"

Before Naruto could reply, they had arrived at the hospital and Naruto took a deep breath before making his way inside which confused Hana because though no one liked hospitals, this boy seemed to almost be afraid of entering. Putting aside her unanswered questions, Hana walked up to the front desk while Naruto tried to hide behind her hoping not to be noticed.

Fate was not on his side though when the woman asked who it was that needed to be treated and Hana stepped to the side revealing Naruto. Upon hearing the name of Naruto, the woman's face immediately darkened before venomously replying that there aren't any available doctors and that they would be better off leaving before turning back to her work. Hana continued trying to get the woman's attention but she was continuously ignored much to her rising anger and confusion when Naruto pulled her to the side.

"If you are that set on me being seen by a doctor, you will have to get Kaseko Isao to come here personally."

Seeing the look in the boy's face cut off any further questions as she began to wonder just why this boy could only be seen by one medic. But Hana set off down the hall to ask another woman for Isao Kaseko since she knew she wouldn't get any help from the reception. A few moments later Hana returned with Isao.

Seeing the medic raise his hand in a wave, Naruto did the same before greeting him. "Hiya Isao. Long time no see. How you been?"

Drawing a chuckle out of the old man, he responded, "If you think a few short months is a long time then you have a very skewed sense of time Naruto. Your room is free, head on in and I will be in there after I finish up some paperwork."

Hana observed the exchange with quiet curiosity. Did this boy really come here so often that he had his own room and medic? Or did the boy actually live here and that was why he didn't want her to accompany him? Wondering if it would be alright to question the boy she decided not to pry more than she had, especially since she had now officially done as her mother asked and she could return home to go to bed.

Following Naruto into his room, she was surprised that it had only one bed in it since most rooms had two beds to make the most use of space. It was usually only for extreme injury, long term use, or individuals of privileged status that were given a room with just one bed, so how did this kid get one set aside for him? Deciding to think on it rather than ask him she makes him get into his hospital gown, behind the curtain of course, and forces him into the bed before promising to see him first thing in the morning threatening him with further bodily harm if she didn't see him in his room when she returned.

Naruto decided this would be a good time to meditate on his mindscape. When Naruto expressed concern over how long it would take him to meditate on changing the sewer for the Kyubi, the Kyubi had explained that because they were in his mindscape that they were communicating as fast as a brain can function which is significantly faster than lips can move. Naruto soon discovered that approximately 1 hour in his mindscape was in reality, only about 5 minutes. Even so, it had taken Naruto a week of meditating an hour mindscape time every night before he was able to change anything. Kyubi mentioned something about a mindscape's natural environment being a reflection on a person's memories and experiences. Because Naruto had little to no good memories or experiences, it was a lot drearier and significantly more difficult to change his mindscape than it would be for others.

But after a few weeks he was able to make the changes in his mindscape permanent. Now when Naruto entered his mindscape, it was no longer a sewer but a hallway that looked like an underground dungeon, albeit a lit dungeon that didn't have a plumbing issue. And now, when Naruto opens the door to the Kyubis room, it has a room close to the size of a large apartment with the same red pillars with the seal in place. Beyond the pillars that made up his cage however was a vast forest. The trees dwarfed any tree he had ever seen so that the Kyubi almost looked like a normal sized fox. There was a huge lake nearby with a wide and strongly flowing waterfall and huge mountains in the distant background. It took Naruto a long time to make them permanent, but eventually Naruto was able to create some animals to make the forest seem more normal and not so desolate.

All in all, Naruto thought the place was beautiful and knew that Kyubi liked it because he was constantly giving input into how he wanted it to look. Even though Kyubi didn't ask for the animals, he felt the fox was grateful for the additional company given he was significantly less hostile towards Naruto than the first time they talked. Naruto made his way to the Kyubi's favorite spot to lay down while glaring at Naruto. When Naruto finally approached the Kyubi he became grateful once again that the Kyubi promised not to kill him without first warning him because he did not look forward to fighting the fearsome foe. Naruto had started to enjoy his company with the fearsome biju at times. More often than not, he was very grumpy and angry but he had moments of being cordial and talkative which were moments where Naruto listened intently to everything the Kyubi said because of all the interesting things he had to say.

" **You have got to be the world's largest trouble magnet. You get attacked by mobs on an almost weekly basis and you have been in this damn hospital room more than you have been in your own bedroom! Not that I'm complaining much about that considering your apartment is almost worse than this sewer of a brain you had before you spruced it up."**

"Oh, come on Kyubi, my apartment isn't that bad." Which drew a sweatdrop from Kyubi before Naruto continued, "Ok, you may have a point about the outside, but the inside isn't that bad. So, some of the villagers trash the place, but they only ever upturn the furniture. That doesn't take all that long to fix."

" **While we are on the topic, there is something you need to listen to that you aren't going to like… if something doesn't change then you may need to leave Konoha. And before you start throwing a fit, listen to what I have to say. These attacks on you are not becoming any less frequent and if these people will attack a child, I can't imagine they will take it much better once you start getting stronger and become a ninja. They will just see it as the return of the Kyubi and you will spend more time in the hospital or end up dead. Like I said, for now we will see how everything goes because you are still too young and weak to travel anywhere, but if the villagers continue these attacks, then we will be forced to leave for our safety. Do you understand?"**

It took a moment before Naruto could look up from the ground and the Kyubi was surprised that the tirade hadn't started yet. After several minutes of quiet passed, Naruto looked up and in a surprisingly calm voice spoke, "Actually, the thought crossed my mind after reading the book my Kaa-chan gave me. The Naruto in that book constantly travelled searching for the answer to true peace. I'm obviously not going to find the answer to peace here otherwise Jiji would have. I don't want to but if you think it is the best thing for us, then we will start laying out plans to leave for if the time comes."

" **I am the greatest miracle worker of all time! Let it be known throughout the lands to all the people that the Kyubi no Kitsune, King of the Biju, fearsome in all her power has granted intelligence and maturity into the likes of an insect like you! What wonder's will she perform next?"**

"Ha-ha-ha. Very funny." Naruto was just about to start meditating on what was said when all of sudden his eyes nearly popped out of his socket before turning to the Kyubi, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN 'SHE'? YOU'RE A GIRL?"

" **No. I am a biju. I was created as a mass of chakra just as the other biju were. We do not have gender, we only have form."**

"Oh. Well I guess that makes sense. But then why did you say 'she'?"

" **Do you think that I walked the lands as a 100 ft tall fox with 9 gigantic swinging tails crushing mountains everywhere I went? NO, you fool! I am a mass a chakra the equal to no one and nothing. Throughout the years I grew bored with exploring and at times, I would ingratiate myself into the human world for one thing or another. Depending on my mood, I would either show up as a powerful man and work my way up the ranks until becoming lord and ruler before becoming bored. More often though, I would appear as a woman and ingratiate myself into a kingdom and rule it from the shadows."**

"But why couldn't you just pick one and do it? Couldn't you just be a woman and rule the country or a man and rule from the shadows?"

" **I could have and I did on occasion just for the challenge, but something you are forgetting. Humans are prejudiced. Look at the way your villagers treat you. Humans do not look at women as strong and they must be virtually world renowned for them to earn any kind of respect, something I wished to avoid in case anyone would recognize my chakra and I would be forced to either leave or kill them and then the fun was over. As for men, they are not nearly as fun to play from the shadows as women are. Humans can be putty in the hands of an attractive woman and it is so enjoyable watching everyone dance on the ends of my strings purely because I had a desirable form. Like I said though, at times I would be a man purely for the aura of power to radiate and to rule a kingdom, shaping it to my desire and watching it flourish at my touch. Those were the days."**

"Why did you stop then if you enjoyed it?" The killing intent directed towards Naruto was enough to bring him to his knees and force his breath to get caught in his lungs so he couldn't breathe. Just when Naruto felt he was about to pass out, the pressure from his killing intent lessened enough for him to look up and see the rage in the Kyubi's eyes and wondered just how much longer he had to live.

" **WHY? YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY, PATHETIC HUMAN? ASK YOUR BELOVED UCHIHA AND THAT MOKUTON LOVING SHODAIME OF YOURS WHY! I DID NOTHING TO WARRANT THE ATTENTION OF HUMANS WHEN THAT FUCKING UCHIHA SHOWED UP AND FORCED ME TO FIGHT. AND JUST WHEN I GET FREE OF HIS GRASP, I GET SEALED INSIDE ONE OF YOU DISGUSTING HUMANS ONLY TO PASSED AROUND FROM ONE TO THE NEXT LIKE A GOD DAMN TROPHY TO BE PARADED AROUND!"**

Shocked at the killing intent the Kyubi was throwing off and the story behind what he said, Naruto wanted to ask and find out more about what happened but knew that anything else he said would just upset him. Well, upset _her_ I guess, since Kyubi thinks of herself more as a woman than a man. Deciding that he needed to reflect on what was said and not wanting to upset the Kyubi more, he gingerly stood up and as calmly as he could said, "I'm sorry for upsetting you. I didn't think my question would bring up such a painful topic. I will leave you for now."

Without another thought, Naruto left his mindscape leaving the Kyubi surprised at the boy's thoughtfulness though still cursing herself for revealing her most shameful moment in a fit of rage. Deciding to think on it after a nap, the Kyubi soon drifted off to sleep thinking that she could have done a lot worse than this boy for a Jinchuriki.

Naruto opened his eyes to see the empty hospital room and he started to reflect on everything he knew about the Kyubi. It wasn't long however until Sarutobi and Tsume walked in the room and he heard Sarutobi speak, "Well, well, well. You know Naruto, if you didn't heal so well then I could use you as the ultimate training tool for aspiring medic ninjas. We would have the most experienced and practiced medic-nins throughout the lands!"

Naruto, however, immediately saw a flaw in his plan. "You would have to convince more than just Isao to heal me if that's your plan, Jiji. But speaking of Isao, I hate waking up in this white room. Do you think Isao would be ok with painting this room an actual color? Like orange?"

Not realizing the glaring flaw in his joke that there is only 1 man within the hospital that will heal Naruto, he mentally berated himself. Choosing to ignore that part of the conversation he smiled and answered the boy's question, "And why would you want to paint this room orange?"

Sarutobi only received a shrug before Naruto replied, "Well, because orange is a really nice color. Maybe it has something to do with the sunset over Konoha and how peaceful the village looks that made me love the color."

"Regardless of how you feel about the color, don't go expecting to see any of the rooms getting a paint job any time soon."

Everyone turned to see Isao walking into the room and approaching the bed to examine Naruto. After exchanging quick pleasantries, Isao healed Naruto and reminded him of the policy revolving around him that he is required to stay overnight for observation for any injuries treated at the hospital. Grumbling, Naruto watched Isao leave the room without a backward glance before the kunoichi finally spoke up.

"I don't think I formally introduced myself earlier. I am Inuzuka Tsume, Inuzuka Clan Head. Thank you again for your help earlier this afternoon Naruto. Family means a lot to the Inuzuka and you stuck your neck out for my family. It won't be forgotten."

Naruto had his head down and was only half listening before he responded, "You're welcome Tsume. I was glad to do it. And you don't have to worry about a thing, I promise not to go anywhere near your family. I don't want to endanger anyone."

Sarutobi was confused about why Naruto was sad until he started talking and figured it out. Sarutobi was furious at Hiashi now for the damage he had done to the boy. Before he could respond, Tsume spoke up first, "What the hell are you going on about pup? I didn't say anything about staying away from my clan. I said thank you and that we are grateful. If anything, I would say that we owe you. What part of that made you think I said to stay away from my clan?"

"Well it's just that … I thought you would be afraid of me losing control and hurting your family and that you wouldn't want me to be around you or your family."

Tsume looked to Sarutobi before answering her unasked question, "After the incident with the Hyuga clan, Hiashi thanked Naruto for his help and then told him to stay away from his family until after he has control and can assure everyone there is no danger from the Kyubi."

Tsume who was a clan head and thus part of the council was well aware of the details of what happened that night. Suffice to say she was less than impressed with the actions of her fellow clan head.

"Well Naruto, I am not Hiashi. Hiashi has his nose so far in the sky that if you aren't "royal" then you aren't important. Hell, he barely treats me with respect and I'm a clan head. Don't let what he said get you down. Inuzuka are not Hyuga and we won't abandon you after the help you provided us so put that out of your head."

Naruto looked up, hoping against hope that this wasn't just another trick. When he didn't say anything else, Tsume ruffled the hair on his head a bit giving a toothy grin to show off her sharp Inuzuka incisors. That finally drew a grin from Naruto and helped to ease the tension that was building in the room when Sarutobi decided to speak up, "Well, you need to get some rest Naruto. You look like you were training all day before that happened, so sleep and Isao will discharge you tomorrow. No leaving until he tells you to Naruto! Understand? I also want you to come see me tomorrow once you get a chance, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I understand Jiji."

Just as they were about to leave the room they heard Naruto speak up, "And thank you, Tsume."

This drew a look a confusion from the clan head before Naruto continued, "You stepped in and stopped those men from attacking me more. They probably would have killed me if you hadn't stepped in. I never said thank you for that. So, thank you."

The woman just smiled and with a quick "you're welcome" they left him in the room to sleep.

########## The Next Morning ##########

Naruto awoke the next morning to a knock on the door when Isao walked in. After doing a quick check up, Hana showed up with a quick good morning before she sat on a nearby chair waiting for Isao to finish.

"It looks like everything is good Naruto. You are cleared to leave now. Your clothes are in that cupboard though I suggest you go shower and change them when you get home. The next time I see you better not be here because you are hurt." And with a quick smile and a wave the man left.

Once Naruto changed into his clothes, Naruto left with Hana in tow.

"So I take it I am escorting you home now huh? Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Hana teased, though she could tell by his expression that he didn't understand what she meant.

"Oh. Actually, I am going to Ichiraku Ramen. It has become something of a tradition to go there after I get out of the hospital. But I would love the company if you want. I never eat with anyone and they have the world's best ramen there."

With a surprised look on her face she couldn't help but ask, "Do you go to the hospital that often that it is a tradition to go to Ichiraku?" When she only got a shrug for a response, she decided to continue, "But I'll keep you company for a little longer. I can always go for some food and I have some time before I need to be at the compound for my training."

With that, the two youths made their way to the Ichiraku stand in peace basking in the morning breeze. Naruto arrived and sat in his normal seat directing his attention to the man and pretty girl behind the counter.

"Hiya Ayame-nee, Teuchi-jiji. I'm here for my morning recovery pick-me-up ramen!"

While Ayame glared at him, Naruto vaguely heard the old man say "One miso and one pork ramen coming up." Unfortunately, Ayame was more interested in Naruto than his food at the moment.

"And just why do you need your recovery ramen, Naruto? What have I told you about being careful and not putting yourself in dangerous situations?"

Naruto had the good sense to look abashed, but before he could answer, Hana spoke up, "I have gathered that Naruto spends a lot more time in the hospital than anyone should but this time he was hurt because he was helping my clan. We had a couple ninja try to steal from us last night and Naruto here stepped in to stop them and saved three of our pups."

Ayame was shocked initially because she was so absorbed in Naruto she hadn't even noticed the young girl before everything she said finally sank in.

"You mean to tell me that Naruto willingly confronted 2 fully trained ninja who were able to steal from a clan of ninja?" Ayame asked with some bite and a little bit of anger at Naruto's stupidity. Naruto had the good graces to stare at his feet afraid to meet the young cook's eyes when Hana once again came to the rescue, "Hey! Don't get mad at him. Those pups were too young to defend themselves yet and haven't been trained. They are also going to be my partners, so Naruto saved my family and I am very greatly for what he did, so I don't appreciate you getting mad at him for it."

Surprised at the bite the young girl had in her voice, she was both ashamed at how her words came across and grateful that someone was finally sticking up for Naruto. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that your pups were saved, but I don't like Naruto getting hurt. He gets hurt too much as it is that he doesn't need to go looking for trouble. It finds him often enough as it is. But before we get more side tracked, I'm Ayame. What's your name?"

"Inuzuka Hana."

"Hi Hana. Like I said, I am glad your pups are safe but I don't like to see Naruto hurt. He is a really sweet kid that doesn't need to go looking for more trouble." With that said, Ayame walked around the counter and pulled the young boy into her arms giving him a hug that the boy quickly returned. "I want you to promise me that you will be more careful. You have been getting your recovery ramen too much lately that it is starting to scare me. Promise me that you will be more careful."

Naruto couldn't hold back the few tears threatening to fall at hearing the heartfelt concern in the girl's voice that it warmed Naruto's very being. Naruto slowly nodded his head before speaking hoarsely, "I promise. I will be as careful as possible. But I still can't stand by in every dangerous situation." With that, they let their embrace fall before Naruto hurriedly wiped his tears before anyone see. "I am going to be a ninja after all and I can't run from every dangerous situation. But I promise to be as careful as I can as often as I can."

Before anything else could be said, Teuchi set some ramen down in front of him and without another thought, he tore into it. Naruto vaguely heard Hana order something before they took the next 20 minutes to just eat their food. 3 bowls later, Naruto finally turned to Hana with a smile.

"Thank you for accompanying me Hana. It was really nice to have some company."

Hana just smiled at the boy before responding, "Well I didn't just come here to keep you company. I actually have something for you. A thank you for what you did last night."

Naruto grew excited as Hana pulled out a small slim box. He excitedly opened the box and looked inside. They were bracers that looked exactly like the ones that Hana wore only with what looked like a flower on them. Naruto looked up with as big of a smile as he could muster before thanking her profusely.

"I'm sorry about the flower. But I don't have many items lying around that would make a good gift. But I wanted to give you something special to me so that you know just how much I appreciate what you did."

Catching on to what she said, Naruto finally found his voice, "What do you mean special to you?"

"Well I got those bracers made because as soon as I complete my vet training, I will receive my flower tattoo and those bracers were my gift to myself for when I graduate the academy this year."

Naruto was stunned that she would give him something so special. "I can't accept something like this. This was supposed to be your gift for graduating and you said it has the symbol that you will wear for accomplishing your vet training. This is too personal to you, I can't accept something so precious."

"Nonsense. You saved my partners. You more than earned it. And that they are special to me is exactly why they are the perfect gift. Here, let me help you with them." Hana then started putting the bracers on his arms. Naruto was stunned silent while Teuchi and Ayame were watching the exchange with bated breath at the heartfelt girl.

"There. They are a tad big on you, but I can get it fit or you can just grow into it. Your choice."

"I don't want to change it at all. This is how you gave them to me, so this is how they will stay. I will just have to grow into them. Thank you Hana-chan!" Naruto couldn't hold it in anymore and he launched himself at the girl, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a hug. Though stunned initially, she returned the hug from the innocent boy. It only lasted a couple seconds when Naruto pulled away with a mumbled sorry.

"Haha! Don't sweat it. While I would love to stick around some more, I need to get back so I'm not late for my training." Turning back to the counter to see the ramen cooks staring at them, she asked, "How much do I owe you Teuchi-san?"

"After the spectacle you two just put on, consider your first meal with Ichiraku on the house."

"Thanks Teuchi-san! I really need to head out now though, thanks again for the meal." Hana quickly left leaving Naruto to pay for his meal before he too said goodbye and set off for his apartment to finally get washed up.

Once Naruto got home, he showered and changed into fresh, clean clothes before setting off for the Hokage Tower.

Naruto made his way into the Hokage's office and found the old man smoking his pipe while going through his paperwork.

"Ah, good morning Naruto. I trust you enjoyed your recovery ramen?"

"It was Ichiraku, of course I enjoyed it! Especially because Hana joined me. And look at the present she gave me! She got these bracers for herself but she wanted me to have them as a thank you! Isn't it great?"

Sarutobi just smiled at how excited the boy, "That's wonderful Naruto. I'm glad to hear you got along so well. Now I actually wanted you to stop by to talk about your living arrangements. When I sent you to the orphanage I was trying to be fair and not show you any favoritism, but after you were sent away I got you an apartment. There are many individuals on the council that can make it difficult for me to take care of you down the road so I put you in the orphanage to try to appease them and because I was hoping you could make friends. Then when I gave you the apartment, it was because the council was watching you too closely. Now that the council's eye is not on you, I think it's time for you to go back to the Senju compound. It might make things difficult down the road but it will be better for you. So, go get your things and get back there. Don't you have some training to do?"


End file.
